The Value of a Smile
by DarkChao1663
Summary: Takes place while Phineas and Ferb are in high school. Candace and Ferb try to find Phineas after he's been kidnap. Even if the two do find him, will he be the same?
1. Ignornace

Chao- Kinda wondered what would happen if Phineas were to be kidnap, and yet not have the worst of the worst happen to him. More like an ignorance vs. innocence type interest.

**Disclaimer: DarkChao1663 does not own _Phineas and Ferb_.**

**Summary: Takes place while Phineas and Ferb are in high school. Candace and Ferb try to find Phineas after he's been kidnap. Even if the two do find him, will he be the same?**

**Warnings: Rated T for kidnapping situation, implied dark themes, and minor swearing**

**Pairings: None**

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 1: Ignorance**

The final hour before spring break had just ended. The Flynn-Fletcher brothers and their group of friends rushed out of the mundane building and raced to the school's parking lot. They all drove off and went out to eat at a restaurant not too far from their campus. Most of them were happy about their last day of classes and were looking forward to a week of relaxation. Of course, the definition of that word could vary depending on the person.

The two siblings had created dozens of plans to keep themselves entertained. They had formed several projects they couldn't wait to test out. However, during the conversation, some of the brothers' peers would give the one with red hair a strange look. Throughout the years, a few members had to pass on the giant ideas. The older they became, the more dangerous the projects seemed. When the problem was mentioned, Phineas would explain safety procedures had always been explored and pointed out with a joyful laugh they all saw and experienced the ecstasy of completing something assumed to be impossible. However, some still remained uncomfortable.

The childhood companions piled into one car. Ferb had his license and would often drop everyone else who lived in the same neighborhood. Everyone continued to chat widely in the moving vehicle. They agreed to participate in the inventions the next morning. Today was a day to kick back after a long week of being drilled useless information and massage hands that became sore from scribbling notes.

The Flynn-Fletcher siblings returned home. They greeted their sister, who was in college and had already started her break. She chatted away mindlessly with her long time friend on her cell phone. The boys gathered their dirty clothes from the week and placed them in the laundry room. Ferb went to go use the computer while his brother went to the living room.

Phineas turned on the TV and began to watch one of his favorite programs. He didn't often pay much attention to the colored box for hardly anything interesting was on for a boy with such intellect and creativity to enjoy. He'd much rather spend his moments outside with friends and family.

Even though everyone in his class moved on to drama series, reality TV, and adult sitcoms not meant for their age, the young adult still reveled in his cartoons when he had the chance. He use to take pleasure in the activity with his stepbrother, but even the one with green hair stopped going out of his way to watch the program. Phineas sat by himself and laughed at the same jokes he heard already but still appreciated the show for its originality.

His sister passed by but stopped when she noticed what program her brother was watching. She was about to mention something to him when she decided to not get involved. She thought back and remembered she use to enjoy a child's cartoon when she was the same age as her sibling was now. She continued with her way out after her cell phone rang. She screamed with excitement when her plans for the afternoon were still take place.

When the cartoon was over, Phineas turned off the TV.

The two brothers were alone for dinner. Both their parents and older sister were out. When they had finished, they placed away the leftovers in the fridge and washed their dishes. Ferb walked upstairs to take a shower first.

Phineas did not mind. He took a seat on the family's couch and flipped through the channels. A platypus came around and took a seat next to him. The pet appeared tired after a long day. Phineas giggled a bit with childlike delight; he was curious to know what the mammal had been doing after seeing him so overworked. When he turned his attention back to the screen, he sighed; there wasn't much on tonight for his pleasure. He wished he could go out and hang around with some friends but all were busy with their own schedules and activities.

He wanted something interesting to happen; the night was too nice to be kept indoors. Now that he was older, he did not have as early of a curfew nor did his body begin to shut down after dinner. He had a burning desire to go on an adventure like he did when he was a kid. He longed for the action and joyous days of summer from his youth with his friends.

He was soon startled when he heard the front door slammed. Looking up, he saw how furious his older sister appeared. He didn't know why she was home so early. He recalled the college student made plans with some of her buddies for the evening and were to stay out until late. When she did return home, she were to be charge of her brothers if anything series were to happen.

"Is everything ok, Candace?" Phineas asked his sister in a concerned tone.

"Don't talk to me!" she snapped. The younger teen was stunned. He had never seen his sibling so upset before. He could see anger in her lovely sapphire eyes, but despair hid poorly in back. She appeared as though she was ready to cry. He stood up and repeated sincerely, "Candace, what's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing!" she argued.

"I didn't know 'nothing' could be so emotional." the boy remarked with a small laugh.

"You wouldn't understand." she countered a little calmer.

"Did you have an argument with your friends? Is that why you're home earlier?"

"Not now, Phineas."

"Maybe you should go and talk with them. They may be able to forgive you-"

"And why is it MY fault!"

"Ok, if it's not then it's not. But, Candace, I don't know what started all this, but you can't stay mad at them forever. They can't stay mad at you forever."

"That's not the way the real world works."

"Well, then, you should make it your way. Who's to say what can and cannot be?"

Candace took a seat in the kitchen with Phineas entering as well. The girl placed her head on the table and tried her best to block out her brother. What happened earlier was still fresh in her mind. She was developing a headache. She didn't want to be lectured on the weekend at the start of her break, especially from the young teen. She couldn't take what he was saying much longer. She became far beyond annoyed at the matter he spoke about.

Bolting from her seat, she finally shouted, "Damn it, Phineas! Your overly, childish view is pissing me off!"

Phineas was shocked about what was yelled at him. He never seen his sister so furious before. He also never heard her swear. He was completely unaccustomed to the entire event.

"Candace I-" the teen was about to say something when the girl cut him off, "Just shut up and leave me alone!"

The young, female adult left and ran up the stairs. On her way to her room she passed by her stepbrother, who came out of the shower in a fresh pair of pajamas and had no clue about what took place.

"Don't. Say. Anything." she warned the one with green hair in a low voice. As she moved on, her phone went off. She walked away and said to the other line in more of a worried tone, "Stacy, I don't know how to explain it! I was with Jeremy and… it all happened so fast!"

Ferb assumed his stepsister was acting like her usual self. He shrugged it off and walked towards the laundry room to leave his dirty towels for washing.

Xxx

Depressed about the event, Phineas sighed. He knelt down and petted the platypus after the mammal made a sound. The adolescent was left to reflect about the matter on his own. He didn't mean to upset his sister even more. He only wanted to help.

The angry words screamed at him earlier echoed in the back of his mind.

Phineas opened the fridge to get a bottle of water. As he searched around, he quickly noticed his family was out of milk. He knew everyone would want something pertaining to the dairy product when morning came around. Rather than bothering his parents or someone else who had a license to drive, the boy decided he would go retrieve one himself. He believed it would also be the best if he left the house for a bit; he wanted to allow his sister to calm down after the fights she has been in.

The boy strolled over to the garage to grab his bike. As he placed on his helmet, he saw his pet had followed him. Smiling, he knelt down and assured, "Don't worry, Perry; I'm just going to get some milk. I won't be long."

He hopped on to his vehicle and went on his way. A full moon laid out in the vast dark sky doted with many shiny stars. The boy was able to see where he was traveling with ease. The air was cold and crisp. He was glad he was taking some time outside. Like a child waiting in line for a thrilled adventure ride, this was the action Phineas had been craving for. He rode over hills and bumps with bliss as his legs peddled with ecstasy. He arrived at the store with no problem.

Catching his breath, Phineas parked and chained up his bike at a rack with plenty of spaces available. He took off his helmet and tied it to the handles. Not too many people were out at this hour. He went inside and found what he was looking for instantly. After paying for the product, he exit the building and was ready to leave. Just before he had the chance to unlock his bike, someone snuck up from behind.

The mysterious stranger quickly pulled the boy into the shadows. He had a firm grip around the adolescent's torso and chest. Phineas tried to break free but before a word could be uttered, the same man placed his free hand with a cloth underneath the young adult's nose. The teen tried to fight, but soon found his eyes growing heavier and heavier. His form became tried and did not respond to any commands from his groggy mind.

Dead asleep, Phineas fell into the arms of a kidnaper.

**To be continued…**

Chao- Sorry Phin Flynn! But you just seem like the perfect character to write this idea! Oh, and if any of you readers have any ideas about ignorance vs. innocence, don't be afraid to comment! Please review!


	2. Realization

Chao- Thought it would be a good idea to have this story take place during spring break. It's not summer and there was something already about winter. Also, it's nice not having to place any details about school.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 2:** **Realization**

The police arrived to the Flynn-Fletcher house after their investigation as soon as possible. All that was found at the scene of the crime was Phineas's locked up bike, his helmet, and a carton of spilt milk. No other pedestrians had seen the attack. The only proof uncovered laid in the store's cameras. However, because it was late and the man was quick, details of who took the innocent teen was blurry.

Lawrence was comforting his wife, who was sobbing quietly. When they came home, they were surprised all but Phineas were there. As time went on and they observed the adolescent was not picking up his phone, they grew worried. They were asked several questions by the policemen about the hours before and gave any information they could about their child. The two siblings waited in the kitchen. They tried their best to provide any useful clues.

Candace sighed with vexation. She couldn't believe her brother was gone. It was only a few hours ago she had talked with him. Remorse edged her heart when she recalled it was more of a heavy disagreement. She grew worried and discouraged as dark assumptions twisted her mind. She quickly shook her head. Her brother was smart. He would find a way out of his situation and be back home before they knew it. Even with hope forming, Candace couldn't help but worry.

She crossed her arms as she wondered out loud bitterly, "Why was Phineas out last night, anyways?"

Her stepbrother held up a milk carton. He flipped it over to reveal how empty it was. He had done the same for his parents. When he noticed his brother had left, the platypus had walked over to the container. Candace glanced out the window as she understood the message. She became calm as she prayed in her crestfallen heart her brother would be all right.

Earlier she had freaked out about the news, but did her best to keep a mature composure so she would not step in the way of the analysis. As she aged, she finally comprehended screaming would not assist her in anyway. She also figured it would be best to not freak out as her mother had already filled that position.

Ferb took a seat and stared at the empty cartridge. He wished he had known about his brother leaving. He would have driven them both to the store. He then figured another reason why the boy with red hair had left; he wanted to use his own body for an exciting ride. That did not changed Ferb's mind; he would have at least gone along with his sibling on their bikes if he had known Phineas had wanted to leave. Despite his calm complexion, the one with green hair was also distraught. He was aware criminals like to cause the least amount of distraction possible, and because Phineas was alone late at night, he was an easy target.

Perry had been watching what was occurring around him. He was shocked to see policemen over but remained in his pet mode. He was glum about the news he heard. He wished he had forced himself to go with his owner. Perhaps he could have done something, even if it meant blowing his cover.

When the investigation was done, everyone tried to return to their normal routine.

Xxx

The sound of a phone ringing placed on a cumbersome nightstand went off at different intervals. The music playing was constructed from one of the songs the two brothers and their friends wrote over the course of one of their greatest summers from when they were kids. After several attempts to be reached, the cheerful tune stopped in the middle of playing. The battery was dead.

Phineas mentally woke up. He tried to move his hands, but found he could not. They appeared to be tied together by a tightly knit rough rope behind his back. He felt his body in a sitting position on some sort of hard chair. He slowly opened his eyes. When his vision cleared, he glanced around and saw he was in some sort of house. The lights were dimmed and broken glass laid everywhere.

The teen closed his tired pupils as he tried to recall how he ended up in a place that was not his own home. He had an unintentional argument with his sister, who yelled at him furiously. His chest tighten at the thought. He shook his head as he continued to try and retain the other events. He had left his home on his bike. He was only at the store buying milk and was about to depart when someone had grabbed him. Phineas assumed the man had utilized some sort of chemical on the cloth that forced him into the deep slumber.

Startled, he looked around like a prairie dog when he heard footsteps coming his way. In his view, Phineas saw a tall man with shaggy dark blonde hair and cold brown eyes appeared. He wore a white shirt that revealed his strong hairy arms accompanied by a pair of dark blue jeans. He had little amounts of peach fuzz all over his face. He held in his hands a type of small sword. He seemed to take pride in his weapon as he wiped it down carefully.

"Ah, I see you're awake." he smirked.

"Who are you?" the teen asked.

"You don't need to know my name."

"Then why am I here?"

"Money."

"What?"

"I need money and you seem as though you come from a family that cares about you. A nice ransomed is in order. They'll have to pay if they want to see you again."

"Money? Don't you have a job?"

"That's not the point."

"Well, maybe if you clean this place up, there might be something here you can sell."

"Do you ever shut up…"

"No, really, there are some nice things here. Or maybe you can take some of this stuff around and make something. I'm sure people will pay for that."

"Enough! Besides, how can you be talking to me so calmly?"

"Well, what else am I suppose to do?"

"Sit quietly and in fear until someone comes to get you."

"Fear isn't really my style."

"You sure are a strange kid."

The man was taken back by this but tried to hide it. People usually scream whenever they were in a situation they had no control over. The adolescent, however, appeared to be calm. He seemed to be a little surprised at the event, but didn't wasn't too bothered by it.

The man knelt closer and inquired, "I have this weapon in my hand and you seem to be fine."

"Well, unlike most people, I'm use to having a rush of adrenaline run through my body." Phineas replied honestly.

"And why is that?"

"I build fantastic projects with my brother and friends. We would go into space, underwater, explore through Earth- There's just too much to do than sit indoors all day."

"Somehow you're able to keep up a conversation quite easily. Aren't you worried about your folks?"

"Yes, but I know something good will happen. Even to you."

"What about your siblings? Do you get along with them?"

The teen was about to answer easily when he thought back to his little dispute with his older sibling. He answered truthfully, "Well… Yes… for the most part…"

The man noticed the sudden change in tone, "You seem troubled by something."

"It's nothing, really," Phineas replied with a shaky grin, "I'm sure my sister will be able to calm down and start talking to me again!" His cheerful smiled return as he added, "And then once tomorrow comes, my friends and I will start to begin our projects."

"What makes you think there will be a tomorrow for you?" the stranger asked, knowing he'd have to keep the boy locked up for a bit.

"There's always a tomorrow." the teen responded with light in his eyes.

"Look, kid," the man sighed, "That may sound nice, but it ain't that easy."

"Well, I know that. I wanted to give up sometimes, but my friends kept me moving forward."

"And what makes you think you'll actually get a chance to see your friends?"

"We all promised to hang out tomorrow and start our work. Once they see I'm not there, they'll find out what happened to me and start looking for me."

"You're just a bunch of stupid kids! What exactly can they do the police won't?"

"Build a working DNA contraption with a locator."

"Ok, let's say that does work, they can search all they want. But, they may have wished they never began to the search when they find a corpse."

"Why would they find a corpse if they're looking for-" Phineas cut himself off. The man had his back turn.

"Wait!" the teen protested, "You just said you wanted money! Why would you want to kill me!"

"Easy kid, you saw my face," the kidnaper replied smoothly.

"But that won't be necessary! All you have to do is put on a mask!"

"Too late for that."

"Really, there's still time! When the police come, they don't have see you!"

"Even if I do get caught, they'll still arrest me."

"But you don't have to give up! You don't have to dirty your hands. I'm sure if you work hard enough, things will turn around. They have for me!"

"Look, kid, I'm done with games. I thought I took a teen when really I only got me a child."

"But, I'm not a child; I'm just someone who likes to be himself and not an empty shell around others."

The man had enough. He no longer had interest in arguing with his victim anymore. He swung around quickly and held a sharp kodachi (small sword) to the boy's throat.

He then warned coldly, "Damn it, kid! Your overly childish view is really starting to. Piss. Me. Off."

Phineas's eyes grew wider. His heart pounded rapidly against his chest. Even though he was terrified about having a weapon held up to him so close, his mind was else where. A tiny voice from just a few hours ago boomed into his mind.

"_Damn it, Phineas! Your overly, childish view is pissing me off!_"

Water began to conceive underneath his sapphire eyes. He closed them and allowed a few tears to shed freely. He was aware he needed to allow his sister to calm down, but he had little idea about how much of a nuisance he was, and maybe not just only to his sister.

His body trembled as he whispered, "I'm sorry… Candace…"

The man noticed with awe how a simple line changed the bright boy to someone who cried with pure angst. The line the young adult muttered echoed into the man's mind. He smiled mischievously. He lowered his weapon as he asked with great interest, "Who is Candace?"

"My sister," Phineas replied quietly, still crying.

"And what exactly are you sorry for? After all the crap you said, you don't appear to be the type to make someone cry."

"Because… I'm the one… who made her so upset…"

"Only to her?"

The question crashed into Phineas like a harsh wave against a cliff. He always had a smile on his face and tried to look for the bright side to everything. He recalled how some of his companions would complain about the characters from books or TV dramas and how annoying those character types are. He wondered if his personality had been annoying to his friends. Over time, everyone began to change, whether it was developing different interests or seeing the world in a new view after enduring various experiences. Even with growing up in a mix family and going through changes, Phineas on the other hand, remained the same.

He pondered why no one had said anything to him. Perhaps they had and he didn't catch it. He concluded the possibility they were all just being nice. He noticed how quickly the man who had captured him went from a calm plan to someone filled with rage. Phineas soon became mad. Mad at himself for being so foolish. But he was soon slipped into anguish when he thought about his family, particularly his older sibling, who he admired.

He glanced out the window and noticed the lighting from the moon. He had only wanted to go out for a joyous ride and allow his siblings to be with themselves. And now, he was here in a stranger's home because he had been foolish to go out by himself. He figured since he had yet to answer his cell his family had already began some sort of search. He was trapped on a chair with his hands tied behind his back. He couldn't do anything to rescue himself. When he was a kid, he had others to assist him. Now he was alone.

Phineas closed his eyes and sobbed in despair, "I'm just a… a burden to her… and everyone else…"

Xxx

Ferb quietly raced to his room. He knew with all the red and blue lights flashing off in front of his place, his neighborhood friends were bound to have questions and concerns. When he came into his room, he accidentally slammed the door on the platypus, who had followed him. With an apologetic appearance, He allowed the pet to finish his entrance.

Ferb was pretty steamed about the situation. His brother was taken-no- stolen from him. He knew how long cases went and how many of them turned cold. He couldn't allow his sibling and best friend to be missing for years. He wouldn't let that happened.

He sat at his desk and began drawing new sketches of anything that might be of assistance. He figured as long as he had some sort of trace of DNA, such as hair from a brush, he would be able to locate his brother easily. Just then, his phone went off.

He was about to speak into it when a feminine shriek answered first, "Ferb! I saw policemen in front of your house! I tried calling Phineas but he isn't picking up!"

"Isabella I-"

"Ferb! What happened to Phineas! Was he kidnapped!"

"Actually-"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to do all I can to help!"

"Ok-"

"Have you already called Baljeet! Does anyone else know!"

"Well-"

"Don't worry! I'll take care of that since you're probably busy coming up with some sort of plan! We're all coming to help! Oooh, I sure hope he's ok…"

Ferb paused for a moment before saying, "…As do I."

He hung up his phone and looked outside his window. The moon shone out with many playful stars glimmering down. He wondered if this was the same sight his brother had seen and craved earlier. He was curious if his brother was looking at the same view he was.

He then glanced towards to the floor.

He tighten his grip on his communication device.

He prayed nothing would happen to his brother and friend in the middle of the night.

**To be continued…**

Chao- Sorry if this appears a little too quick. Suspense is a challenge to write in this category. Also, Chao would like to get this done before the premier of Phineas's Birthday Clip-O-Rama. Please review!


	3. Searching

Chao- Even though this may be a bit dark, Chao thought it would be nice to keep some of the repeated lines and running gags. Though, not all will be included.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 3:** **Searching**

"_Phineas, I know what we're gonna do today_."

Midnight had already past but Ferb had yet to go to bed. He was far too busy trying to create a working locator. Despite having the ability to bend the laws of physics at the age of ten, the first several plans were not constructed well enough. The adolescent's pencil would either snap due to his angry strength or his overly worked mind would wonder to dark places.

As he persisted with his ideas, he kept his brother's hair brush close at hand. He had to be careful with his experiments; for Phineas may not be a neat freak, but he kept his supplies clean. Even though he was in a rush, Ferb did his best to keep the noise level down. He understood how worried his parents were and he did not want to disturb them from their much needed rest.

Earlier he had turned off his lamp and remained as still as a piece of wood when he heard footsteps pass his bedroom. The boy's folks wanted to be sure the teen was taking care of himself after what had just taken place. Ferb understood their love, but he also did not want to hear any lectures from anyone at the moment. When everything was clear, he went back to his dozens of rough sketches.

In the past he created fun ideas. Now, he was doing something serious. Perhaps one reason he was having trouble concentrating was because his best friend and brother was missing instead of being by his side. Ferb inhaled deeply. He had to remind himself even though the machine he was building was not for leisure, it was for his brother.

Perry quietly remained in his spot. He observed his other owner carefully. He had empathy with just how aggravated the young adult with green hair was. For the past hour or so, the concerned platypus debated about what he should do. He finally agreed he would follow the group secretly and spring into action when they were not looking. He could only hope nothing at work would call him in.

The two were startled when the door had opened in a flash. In the path stood Ferb's sister. She appeared to be suspicious of something.

"What are you up to?" she asked sharply as she crossed her arms. She had already lost one brother and did not intend to lose another. She figured the latter would do anything to find the former, like breaking the laws of physics, which was less devastating than wearing white after labor day, but was still not a good activity to take part in. She walked in closer when her sibling held up a blueprint. After an examination, she understood what the device was for.

"Ferb, the police are going to do everything they can," his sister tried to discourage, "Why can't you let them do their job?"

The young teen gave a blank stare. Candace then ranted to herself in exasperation, "What exactly are they doing! My brother is out there in the hands of kidnaper! What if something happens to him! Oh, why did we have to get into that argument!"

She fell on top of Ferb's mattress completely stressed out. Perry had moved out of the way in time before he had been flatten once more. Candace looked at her cell phone. She was still distraught about her own affair but placed it aside when the news about her brother was heard. Soon, more dark thoughts clouded her mind. She tapped her fingers against her pink machine with anxiety. She wished she could do something to help out.

Strangely enough, good memories of her brother entered her mind. She recalled the time where they traveled around the world on the longest day of the year. The young boy with red hair found the strength to continue with his idea and plan at heart.

She looked at her stepbrother. His eyes were filled with worry and concern, but a little flame of hope continued to burn. She knew if anything were to happen, Phineas would find a way to strive. And if the offside something terrible were to occur… The girl quickly shook her head.

Candace did not want her other brother to go out into the world. She was older and would always be left in charge of her younger siblings. She couldn't allow her parents to encounter anymore problems as they already had so much on their plate, even without Phineas missing. She understood being an adult had valuables, but many responsibilities came along with it, especially with kids.

She decided she would partake in the adventure of trying to locate the boy with the innocent smile. She was aware in order for the mission to be a success they would need some shut eye, even though it may be difficult knowing how much evil went on with the moon out.

"You better be careful!" she warned in a low voice that also implied herself volunteering to join in, "And if you plan to search, you better get some sleep."

Ferb saluted his sister in a non-mocking matter.

The next morning, the two siblings were prepared to find their brother. They quietly had some supplies packed and set into a car. They had eaten a quick breakfast and tried to not disturb their folks. After a silent debate with Ferb, Candace agreed to pick up some of her brothers' pals so they could assist in the exploration. Just as the two were about to leave, they were stopped by their mother.

"We're are you and Ferb off to?" Linda asked with a hint of tense in her tone.

"Oh, um, just to the grocery store to get milk." Candace explained, not prepared to turn around and face her still distressed parent. She could tell both of her parents must have a long night as well.

"Ok," was the response they heard. They were ready to leave when a curve ball was thrown at them, "What's in the bag?"

Ferb looked down at his sack that contained his latest invention. He couldn't trouble his mother anymore than she already was. With a quick idea he answered, "A few reusable bags for the grocery store to save the environment."

"Great," the woman replied.

The two siblings left in one of the family's cars for their first stop. They did not notice a platypus sneaking into the back seat.

Xxx

Isabella spent the night in complete distress about her best friend. She didn't know who took him or why. She had alerted everyone she knew so they could assist. To her despair, it appeared as though the most anyone actually did was just post a thought on one of their statuses for their online network accounts.

She was hoping for a little help from her closer childhood companions. Together, they had done the impossible over a course of approximately 104 days of one summer. She was at least grateful Phineas's siblings cared enough to do something. Isabella was a girl of action; she would take the case alone if it came to that.

Deep down, though, she was grateful for some help. The world was a big and scary place, and she sometimes wondered if her friend with red hair was aware of it.

"Isabella!" called a familiar voice. The girl turned to see two of her childhood pals making their way towards her. Or rather, one was dragging the other along. The girl smiled, "Baljeet! Buford! You both decided to help!"

"Help?" Buford clamored, "Dis little twerp DRAGGED me over here! Me! Da bully!"

"We are doing this for the sake of a friend!" Baljeet explained in a loud pitch.

"Oh, like you went out of your way da first time you were asked to do something." Buford brought up.

The Indian adolescent stared down at the floor. He felt guilty he almost decided to not take any action in the search of one of his closet pals. He nearly allowed fear to take control of him. He looked up at Isabella, who tried to do everything she could. The boy sighed, "You were right, Isabella."

"She was?" Buford questioned, "About what?"

"There is more to friendship than just hanging around someone." the one with curly black hair answered, "Friendship is being there for someone in their time of need."

"Yeah," the girl with sapphire eyes agreed, "This situation should not be treated like a TV drama we've all be hooked on."

"I guess I will go." the tough bully joined in, "If anyone is gonna mess with Dinner Bell, it's gonna be me."

The boy and girl with black hair smiled as they shook their head. Despite the good intention Burford had, his response couldn't help but be categorized as a cliché.

Just then, a car horn sounded off. The three looked over to see a familiar vehicle pulled over. In it had Candace and Ferb waiting. The companions of the missing boy gathered into the car and began to try and search. They decided to start with the grocery store and go from there. Perhaps they could obtain a stronger reading from the scene of the crime.

Because it was daylight, more people were around. Isabella went straight indoors to speak with the manager. She explained her situation and requested for any clues found. To their dismay, nothing more had been found. Another option the group could do was to have Candace drive around while Ferb paid close attention to his new device.

After being on the road for some time, everyone decided to stretch their legs over at a city park. Ferb continued to monitor his screen. Everyone waited patiently for some sort of sign. Isabella glanced up to the bright sky. She knew if her friend wasn't missing they would be spending the day together while working on some sort of ride or fun activity with a new twist.

Candace tried to walk off the affect of driving. She needed to keep on moving so her body would not be forced to shut down and become lazy. She wanted to do all she could, but she couldn't stop her heart from being filled with worry. Her heart was mainly focused on her brother, but in the back, she was still thinking about the previous night. She wondered what she would be doing if Phineas had not been missing.

Just then, her phone rang. She looked at her screen and saw her mother was calling her. She knew her parent was suspicious as it should not take this long to grab a carton of milk. She glanced over at the ones she still could call kids. She didn't want them to turn their backs on her needed brother. She decided to do something else.

"Mom?" Candace finally answered.

"Candace?" the other line replied, "Where are you and Ferb? Is everything ok?"

"Well, yes, but," the girl struggled with her white lie, "Um… We kinda gathered everyone for a moment."

"I understand; having Phineas missing must be hard on them."

"Yeah, so… I figured I would just drive them around and, you know, try and have them feel better…?"

"Ok, just be careful."

"Of course, Mom."

"And Candace?"

"Yes?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, either. You didn't know anything like this would have happened."

"Yeah, sure… Bye, Mom."

The girl hung up on her phone. She then looked up to the sky. The clear color of blue and sunny rays of the sun reminded her of her brother's bright personality.

"_But I was the one left in charge_…"

She was interrupted when her phone rang again. She looked down and saw the name of certain blonde with blue eyes. She didn't know why but she decided to answer.

"Candace?" called a voice.

"Hi, Jeremy." she answered in a low tone.

"Um… I heard about what happened to your brother."

"You did?"

"Yeah, I heard it from Coltrane who heard it from Stacy."

"…."

"Well… I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am about all this and that… I'll try to keep an eye for it him… Maybe I can leave some posters over at the Slushy Dawg stands…"

The two were in silence for a bit. Neither quite knew what to say to the other. Jeremy had figured the girl was already some sort of plan with her brother. He stepped in, "Well, I guess I'll leave you to your search since I know you must have a lead or something… Ok, well, talk to you-"

"Wait! Jeremy!"

"Yes?" The boy waited patiently for some sort of response. The girl with red hair looked over at her stepbrother and group of friends. She had to continue keeping an eye out on them while they were attending to their task. She went back to her line and smiled, "Thanks."

Xxx

Phineas awoke with an extremely sore neck. He spent the night tied up to the same chair. He tried once more to move his arms but they remained in the same spot. He glanced over and saw the sun had returned to his side of the planet long ago. He wasn't sure what time he finally fell asleep.

He thought about what had been mentioned the previous night. Although the possible death of him was scary, he was pondering more about his friends and family. He wondered what they would say to him. He was curious if his family would find him strange if he came home with a smile. Sure he was terrified about the situation he was in, but he would be quite happy to return home.

The boy sighed. Even his kidnapper did not like his attitude. The man had accused the adolescent for not doing the whole capturing situation correctly. But what the teen had mentioned was the truth. He looked out the window once more. He knew deep down his friends, his close friends, his friends he had accomplished a great deal of mind boggling projects with, were looking for him. He hoped he would be found soon.

A sudden smile grew over the adolescent's face.

He figured out a solution to his problem. Once he had been found by the people who cared about him, he would just have a talk with them. Hopefully everything could be solved while they worked on one of the many plans they had developed and want to try out.

"What are you grinning about now, kid?" the kidnapper asked in a cold tone. Phineas turned his attention to the rugged man. His happy attitude remained in his heart. He informed in his usual a bold voice, "I'm gonna talk with my friends and they'll tell me for sure I was never a burden to them!"

"You still have hope that a bunch of stupid kids will be able to do something no cop will be able to?" the man questioned.

"I'm sure the police are doing everything they can." Phineas acknowledged, "But my I know my friends won't give up. Not until I am home-"

The teen was unable to finish his next statement at the strong man punched Phineas across his face. The strength of the man caused the furniture to tilt and fall. The boy landed hard on the wooden floor.

"Damn it kid!" the man cursed, "Don't you ever accept reality the way it works!"

Phineas couldn't open his eyes. He could only hope his friends would arrive soon. He tried to smile, but his face where he had been slammed was hurting him.

**To be continued…**

Chao- It's sorta hard to NOT write those running gags. Isn't that why we watch the show in the first place? Anyways, thank you all who reviewed! They mean so much!


	4. The Ransom Note

Chao- Hmmm… What do you all think? Even though this is all within the same day/episode, do you think it's fair to allow Ferb to at least have one line of dialogue per chapter? Obviously some readers would like to see/read Ferb saying more in fan fics, but the one with green hair is a man of action and Chao likes that aspect of the show.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 4: The Ransom Note **

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

Ferb stared at his tiny portable screen. His ears listened with great attention for the sound to increase and play at a faster tempo. He needed to focus not only on his mission but also keep his mind from pertaining to dark thoughts to what may happen to the one with red hair.

He had always liked how his brother was so cheerful and upbeat; that was what made Phineas different from anyone else in school and at home. While being busy with both student work and taking on more house chores, the one with green hair was looking forward to spending some time building fantastic inventions with the ones he cared for.

He wondered what his brother would be like after they save him.

He hoped the two would be able to at least one invent one of their many ideas before the end of their spring break.

Isabella had her fingers laced together and placed them close to her chest as she, too, did her best to continue searching for their missing companion. She was deeply concerned about her best friend. They had been driving around since morning and no signs had shown up.

Around noon, the group had lunch over at Slushy Dawg over in the mall. Candace had insisted to stay away. She had given an excuse she was going to stretch her legs. Before anyone could questioned her, Ferb had stepped in and silently filled the reason. Even with no words exchanged, no one spoke about the girl's personal situation.

"Not having Phineas around is not any fun." Baljeet stated as everyone left the establishment.

"Yeah," Isabella agreed, "But we can't give up!"

"If Dinner Bell is really dat great, why ain't we seen anything he could build?" Buford asked, "If he was able to give a monkey a shower AND build a robot dog in the same summer, couldn't he just save himself? Why are we doing all da work?"

The group fell silent once more; the local bully had brought up a valid point. In any situation they had been in the past, the one with red hair was always able to find a way to get out of it. But the missing adolescent had been gone for around twenty-four hours and no signs of him could be found anywhere. His cell phone battery had long died and they had no other methods for reaching him.

The entire search appeared to be in vain. Perhaps everyone truly was better off allowing the police to do their work without a group of adolescents butting in. If Phineas was able to fulfill his dream of making every day special, surely he may have already returned home by now.

"Enough!" the girl with red hair shouted as she joined everyone else. The young adults turned to face the college student. They saw a pair of sapphire orbs filled with determination, the same sentiment she held before she went running off to find her mother whenever the group of friends had built something gigantic and fun.

"We're going to find him!" Candace stated with great aspiration. Just then, everyone lined up as though they were in the army. The one with long red hair walked up and down with her goals in mind as she persisted, "Phineas may have been kidnapped, and even though he had been able to do a lot of stuff, that DOESN'T mean he isn't in a situation he will be able to get out of easily."

"Candace is right!" Isabella nodded, "As I said before, we can't give up! Maybe he hadn't been able to escape so he'll definitely still need out help! And when we do find him, we'll be sure to welcome him back home!"

"I'm on board for that!" Baljeet exclaimed.

"Oh, all right." Burford agreed.

"Now, everyone back in the car!" Candace ordered. The teens quickly raced back to the vehicle. Just as the she was about to off as well, her cell phone rang.

"What's the four-one-one, Stace?" Candace asked

"Well, I haven't heard any news yet." the other line answered. The tall girl sighed, "Well, thanks anyways."

"No problem. I sure hope your brother is ok. Oh, and Candace, are you feeling all right?" the girl with Japanese heritage asked.

"Yeah, of course I am."

"Well, I can understand about your brother… But I also mean… you just seem as though you have a lot more on plate now than before…" Stacy explained herself.

"I know." Candace agreed. Just then, she heard a strange sound. She looked over and saw Ferb had yet to get into the vehicle. Even though he was concerned for Phineas, he was also able to tell something was wrong with his sister.

"I'll call you later, Stacy." the girl finally spoke into her phone. She then hung up and the two siblings hurriedly made their way back over to the car. As she took her seat, Candace reached up towards the mirrors and turned on her own device that would allow her to speak into her phone without actually using her phone.

"Any changes?" she asked as she drove back on the road.

"No, doesn't look like it." Isabella answered as she kept her eyes glued to the screen.

"Darn!" the girl with red hair yelled as she slammed her fist onto the steering wheel. Just then, her cell phone went off once more. This time, it was her mother that was calling.

"Yes, Mom?"

"Candace," her mother began with her voice tensed up, "Your father and I need you to come home right away."

"Wait, why?"

"The police had found something."

"What!"

"We're not sure what it is; they called not too long ago. They said they would send someone over."

The oldest girl looked behind her for brief moment. She wanted to find out about what had been found, but she couldn't leave all of her brother's friends. She wanted to keep on looking.

"Candace, it's fine." Isabella insisted. The older girl looked over at the younger one. The adolescent with black hair continued, "You and Ferb should go back home and see what the police have. We can always look afterwards."

"Yes." Baljeet agreed, "Who knows? Maybe what they have can give us a tiny clue to wherever our friend is."

Candace then glanced over at Ferb, who gave his answer as he looked back over at his sister. The one driving the car sighed, "Ok."

Xxx

Phineas had been placed back up after he had been struck down by his captor. He remained in the same position as he continued to be tied up. His kidnapper seemed to have departed but the teen was unsure of how much time had passed. The area he had been punched him caused him a little bit of affliction, but the pain had slowly faded away.

The young adult pondered about what would happen to him next. He had a strong urge to implement the idea he had before his captor knocked him over. He knew deep down his family and close companions would not give up on him. He decided to try and at least break himself free. He figured if he could obtain anything, such a hammer, he could make something to help him escape. He understood running would only get him so far, and if he were caught, it might be all over for him.

He paused for a bit when he heard footsteps coming his way. He glanced up and saw his kidnapper. His heart began to pump faster as he saw the man holding his prize possession, his small knife. The teen gulped.

"Well, I know what I did today." the muscular man stated with evil glee.

"Which is?" Phineas questioned. He was a bit surprised to see his captor was speaking to him. The stranger appeared calmer than before. The teen wondered what exactly had happened after he had been slammed down.

"I sent out the little note about you and my desires." the stranger answered. Phineas was not at all pleased with what had been exchanged between them. The adolescent felt bad knowing his family would need to make a huge sacrifice just for him.

"So, what are you planning to do today?" the man mocked.

"Escape." Phineas answered easily.

"And how do you plan to do such a thing?" the same man chuckled.

"There's a way." the teen stated with confidence, "There's always a way."

"Look kid!" the man scolded as he placed his Kodachi right underneath the teen's face, "Not everything in life is puppies and daisies. Some people work their entire life and still end up getting screwed."

Phineas shut his eyes as he body trembled a bit. Despite being a bit afraid, he managed to answer, "I know that! I may like to enjoy each and every day, but I never said life was easy."

"And what exactly do you know about life hardships?" the stranger question, a bit of rage setting in, "One moment you were in grief about your sister, but now you're all happy! Are you bi-polar or something?"

"No, no I'm not." Phineas answered back, a little calmer than before. He remembered what he and his sister discussed earlier. He understood his views were different from Candace, Ferb, his kidnapper, and everyone else. He only left his home in the first place so his sibling could deal with her own emotion, and possibly to talk to him when she was ready.

"I know everyone has hard times," Phineas continued, "Even I had a few. But I always had my family and friends to help me out. Even though I was both excited and a little nervous about starting high school, I was very glad I was able to attend the same place as all my friends. I even met new people who like the same activities as me and-"

"Hate to burst your bubble," the man interrupted, "But your little world of high school means nothing compared to the real world."

"And why is that?" Phineas asked, "There are people in high school. There are law enforcers, like teachers and the principal, we have our own duties, like homework and clubs-"

"But there are plenty of bad roads in school." the man said, as though he were remembering something from his own past, "There are plenty of no good kids like you who snitch on those who just want to smoke after a hard day of school and home."

The young adult knew what the man was speaking of. He never hung around those type of people. Even though the talk of drugs had been shoved down every student's throat, Phineas never really allowed such differences to bother him. He knew some people just needed a break while others purposefully chose the wrong path. There were those who were a bit lost after dealing with so much drama but they were different from the ones who broke the law and ditch school for no real reason.

"That isn't me." Phineas boldly replied, surprising his captor, "Even though it is easy to use a cigarette to relax, if I start using them, I won't be able to try out for soccer. My lungs would be in no condition to."

"Then why not build some sort of machine to assist you?"

"Because I want to succeed fair and square."

"So here you are again, finding answers in a breeze."

"But I still was able to answer you. We all have things we don't like, but there isn't any point in complaining."

"Even those great machines you talked about earlier?"

The teen thought about the question. He recalled not everything succeeded on his first try. Most of his inventions ended up vanishing, or cleaning themselves up, as he had liked to think of it. He never really did mind since the sudden disappearance act made everything convenient.

He recalled his sister was interested in the machinery whereabouts and the brothers had built a ride with that specific idea in mind. He remembered how often Candace would try and show their mother just what he and Ferb had been doing. He also recalled she had always been wanting them to be safe, such as when he and his brother we about to being their exploration of Lake Nose. In fact, he was quite glad his sister was involved in his life. He was quite depressed when the college student had debated about attending an out of state university. He wanted his sister to do what was best for herself, but he was very excited to learn she would be staying home.

A small smile grew over his face.

He was very pleased he and Candace had the same Spring Break week. He had not had a chance to see her as often since the girl had a completely different school schedule from him. Phineas knew once he would return home, he and his sister may discuss about her problems while the two brothers made another fantastic invention.

Angered by the sudden childlike grin, the man struck his fist directly on to Phineas's cheek. He then repeated the same step with the teen's opposite side of his face.

"Let's see you smile now." the man smirked, satisfied with the act he committed. The adolescent groaned in agony. The areas he had been hit caused him immense amount of pain.

Xxx

"Well, this has been fun." Buford stated with no one knowing if the remark was sarcastic or not.

"Maybe we can try again later." Baljeet suggested, "After Candace and Ferb see what the police say."

"I guess." Candace nodded.

The two males went to their homes. Isabella had wanted to stay but felt as though she couldn't interfere with an important family moment. She was about to head to her own house when she felt someone gently reaching for her arm. She looked behind and saw Ferb. The same teen gave his friend the tracking device he had made. The girl understood the boy's action.

"Ok." she nodded with a sweet smile, "I'll be sure to continue to monitor this while you two go inside."

"Though you may want to go back to your place." Ferb heavily insisted, "We don't need to lose any more friends."

With that, the two siblings and the girl departed. The brother and sister arrived at the door and entered. The family waited patiently for the police to arrive. They all wondered what information the men in uniform who had been working on the case uncovered.

"Was everyone doing all right today?" Lawrence asked his stepdaughter.

"Oh, sure." Candace replied and Ferb nodded.

"I know this is hard," Linda sympathized with, "But we also just want to be sure nothing else happens to you to. The police will find Phineas."

The two siblings glanced at each other. They understood their parents and it was the law enforcers' jobs to keep citizens safe. But neither of them, not even their parents, could help but worry. Both knew their folks wanted to do more.

Just then, everything fell silent when a knock came at the door. Linda and Lawrence went to answer it. When they saw one of the policemen had arrived, they allowed him to enter. A platypus mindlessly entered into the same room as well. Perry took his place next to Ferb and Candace. The two young adults became stiff as the older adults began small talk.

The college student could feel her heart beat faster and faster. She didn't have time for grown ups to be like they were. She wanted action to be done. She wanted to know what had been found so she and Ferb could return to their search. She wanted for her brother to be safe!

"So what did you find!" Candace nearly yelled.

"Candace!" Linda scolded her child.

"We had found a note left at same store where Phineas Flynn had been kidnapped." the officer replied. He did not mind the sibling of the one who went missing raised her voice. He had been working in his occupation for years and understood the anxiety of the whole process.

Linda and Lawrence read over the note. They gasped with fear when they finished. They then looked at each other. Their two children instantly knew the man had wanted money. They could only hope that was all he truly wanted and would do nothing else to Phineas. Perry comprehended his new situation as well. He found himself lucky work did not call him in yet and he hoped nothing else would happen. He needed to find his owner quickly.

The two parents and policeman continued to discuss arrangements. But Ferb and Candace decided they could no longer stay by. Neither of them wanted the case of Phineas Flynn to turn cold. Although they were ecstatic to know he was still alive, they wanted to be sure the boy was kept that way. They both wanted him to stay the way he was.

As the two quietly shuffled back outside, Ferb pulled out his cell phone and began to text Isabella. As he and Candace left, Perry had secretly followed them once more. He quickly slipped back to the back of the station wagon. Once the two were out, Ferb waved to a girl with black hair.

"So what's going on?" Isabella asked as she brought along the tracking device.

"The man wants money." Candace answered bitterly.

She couldn't believe how low some people would sink just for some cash. She had had her own odd jobs in the past but there was no rights to be found for someone kidnapping an innocent boy. Just before the group entered the vehicle, the Flynn-Fletcher siblings felt something was wrong.

Ferb and Candace placed their hands over their heads. The teen with green hair dropped his device but Isabella managed to reached the machinery before it could smash to the ground.

"What's wrong?" she asked the two blended family members.

"I just felt a weird rush going inside of me." Candace answered as she and Ferb recovered from their strange wave of dizziness. The two then looked at each other. They were confident the odd whirling sensation had to deal with their brother.

"We need to find him." Ferb stated with immense dedication.

Without another word, the two girls and one boy made their way back to the familiar station wagon.

The teen with green hair stared at his screen once more as Candace fiercely drove over the pavement.

**To be continued…**

Chao- Sorry about the delay. Although Chao would have liked to have had this all completed before the premier of Phineas's birthday special, let's just say Chao was slammed with many real world stuff, such as having ten deadlines due that day, being struck down by heat exhaustion, debating about whether or not to attend a culture event for a class during the same day, and of course, celebrating a friend's actual birthday that went on passed midnight…. Please review.


	5. Rescue

Chao- Chao had originally wanted to have the previous chapter and this chapter combined, but Chao figured this author could expand each part a little.

Agent Daisy- (crosses paws over chest)

Chao- Wha? Can't suspense and drama be served in two parts?

Agent Daisy- (rolls eyes)

Chao- Oh, yeah. Everyone! This is Daisy the Hyraxes, which is like a wombat, which is like a small bear. As to say if hyraxes do much, how the heck should this author know?

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 5: Rescue**

Candace hurriedly drove down the dark, twisted road. Though she was in great distress to find her brother, she managed to maintain control of her rapidly moving vehicle. The three humans were desperate to locate Phineas, while the platypus remaining in cockneydom was also concerned.

As the wheels swerved over the black pavement, each one of their hearts pounded greatly. If money was what the kidnapper wanted, him receiving the payment wouldn't guaranteed the safety of his hostage; the ransom was just half of the clues the family and policemen needed. Though the cash could be given hand in hand alongside a negotiator, the location of the kidnapper or the choice place of his spot still needed to be disclosed. But what could make matters worse was that the captor could make any station fall into his favor with ease. He could preplan any event and run off with the money with his victim no where in sight.

As Ferb stared into the screen, he became distracted with how bumpy his ride became. He glanced over his window to the street and found no potholes or speed bumps. He then changed his direction towards his sister. Even though Candace had gained more skills when driving, her concentration was split as she worried about Phineas. The teen with green hair held the same sentiment, but the group still needed to advance around carefully or risk an accident coming their way.

Gently, the youthful male placed a caring hand on his sibling's shoulder.

Racing down the road, the college student's mind had thoughts entering as fast as she was zooming. She had been told the event was not her fault, but guilt refused to leave her dejected heart. The feeling she held reminded her of when she was in high school; she had a huge urge to bust her brothers for the giant machineries they had created. Even though she wanted to see her siblings punished and have firm control over everything, she later came to terms she only wanted to keep them safe.

As the years went by and Candace saw her brothers growing up, she learned she wanted to keep them safe more than just physically. Like the time between their mother being single and meeting Lawrence Fletcher, the girl with red hair tried to shield her brother from the cold world. And as she became more comfortable with having a stepbrother, the girl wanted to be in charge of their safety.

Though at times she was peeved with just how easy the two brothers came over grief or hardships, Candace never thought it was possible for one to transform his viewpoint on the world in a single event. Just as she didn't want any actual harm to befall her siblings when they built their giant rides, she never wanted either of them to face an actual criminal.

Once she felt the calmed gesture from Ferb, she realized just how much of a problem her haste was. Cautiously so the vehicle would not spin out of control, Candace lowered her acceleration and gained a better grip on the car.

Soon enough, all ears perked up when the noise from Ferb's invention began to pick up.

"What's going on!" Candace demanded to know when she regained her demeanor.

"The sensor seems to have something!" Isabella noted with excitement and anxiety.

"We appear to have a clue." Ferb explained.

At once, the lady driving the car continued on in the same direction. Surprisingly enough, the interval between each sound increased. Happy to finally have some sort of lead, none of the humans were aware that a platypus and his organization were sending them information wirelessly.

Xxx

The pain in the adolescent's cheeks were far worse than the punches he received earlier. Lucky for him, none of his teeth had been knocked out, but Phineas could still feel bits of blood enter his mouth. He never liked the metallic taste of the red liquid in his mouth, which is why he always took precautions before taking a ride on any of his inventions. He never wanted to worry his family with any injuries nor did he want to miss anymore days of fun due to a broken bone in any of his limbs.

Though panting at the moment for air, Phineas remembered the time his sister had a broken leg. He and Ferb made her some items to keep herself entertained. He cared deeply for his sister after all the inspirations she had given him both by her actions and words, which was one reason he felt so dejected right after their argument. Even while growing up, the two did not argue over every single thing like many other siblings.

Before any memories could surface, Phineas suddenly tried to shut down his mind. The pain in his cheeks were enough of a shock to send him back to reality. Instead of being at home as a kid surrounded by friends and creativity, he was held prisoner with his family only holding one clue about his situation. He didn't want to be anymore hurt than he already was.

Glancing over, he saw his kidnapper cleaning his sword with a cloth, lost in his own world. Phineas's eyes soon grew narrow. He was smart enough to understand something bad would happen to him soon, worse than just a few punches that had already been thrown his way. Although he didn't know what next steps the felon had already preplanned, the teen understood he needed to escape so no harm would come to him or his family.

Carefully, he tried once more to wiggle free. He was quite lucky his feet were not tied down as well, he needed all the room he could gain to aid with his struggle. Placing one wobbly foot on his chair, Phineas leaned forward as he attempted to see if he could at least slip his own arms around seat. The act was hard as he was not flexible and his lower half felt drained from lack of blood circulation.

"What the heck are you up to, kid?" the man asked, startling his victim. Phineas remained in his spot, but turned to face his captor. Boldly, the adolescent replied, "I'm not gonna let you hurt me or any of my family just because you want money!"

As the minor went back to his idea, the bandit chuckled in demonic amusement. As he took a step towards the young adult's direction, he questioned, "And just what do you plan to do?"

"Get out of here!"

"Then what? Return to that family of yours? The same ones who said you were nothing but a burden to them?"

The boy paused as he shot an angered glance towards his captor. Earlier he was unhappy as he viewed himself as nothing but a misfortune to his love ones. Though pained lingered his heart, he couldn't risk any blood to shed over some green paper and coins. Moving his large eyes back to his seat, he continued to work.

The man became angry when he saw the teen was serious, but he couldn't risk losing his victim. Storming over, he grabbed the adolescent's shoulders with one giant grasp from his firm hand. Phineas cried out a bit as the stranger dug his nails into his clothing. However, the teen refused to stop his attempt.

"Listen, kid," the lawbreaker warned as he lifted his weapon, "It's best you stop your squirming or you just might get cut up to ribbons."

Phineas grew afraid from the dark threat, but he wasn't willing to stop. He knew his siblings and friends were doing their part and he needed to do his. The only problem was that he didn't want anyone he knew to be shocked about finding a dead body.

Finding his victim still not cooperating, the man tried another tactic. Casually, he taunted, "You know, all I sent earlier was what I wanted. I still haven't sent the location of where we are. Do you have any suggestions of where we could meet to negotiate this matter?"

The teen ceased his movement for a moment to stare down at his enemy. He wondered what his adversary had in mind. He didn't want to choose something so basic as a park, even if the area usually contained a lot of people, if his kidnapper had already kept a trap as a back up. He understood he needed a place where no one would be in harms way.

"Of course," the culprit added, "We'll need a spot with no policemen can fully see me. How about I pick the people who can get you and you can choose where, is that fair?"

Phineas thought about the proposal for a bit. He knew he could be safe as long as his captor's face remained hidden. Then again, the man could return one day and finish his dirty work before the adolescent could report the incident.

"Hey, wait," the young adult questioned with suspicion, "Why are you asking me this? You said earlier you thought about getting rid of me."

"For a weird kid, you sure are smart." the shaggy stranger complimented. As he placed the boy back down to his seat durably by his strong hand, the two held an uneasy eye contact. Smirking because the situation was to his advantage, the villain explained, "I may be looking for a way to get some cash, but even I may not be as so heartless to separate a family when they have problems between members."

"Problems?" Phineas echoed confused.

"Of course." the man nodded, "How about this: So you can talk out your little tiff with your sister, Candace, we'll have her meet us with the money at any place you want."

At that moment, the teen's eyes widen as he gasped. He had forgotten he had given away his sibling's name, which could at one point place her in great danger. The fact that a criminal knows his sister's name and not the boy's could place the young, female redhead in danger; she could be mistaken as a culprit or an accessory to the crook who had committed the crime.

"No…" Phineas whispered with distress.

"No?" the man repeated with evil glee, "Then did you have another proposal in mind? Any other thoughts or plans floating around your mind like some of the machines you claim to have invented?"

By now, the teen had enough. He knew his kidnapper was only toying with his opponent. Phineas didn't mind so much if any attacks were towards him; he could stand up for himself and prove others wrong with his action and bright side to life. But he didn't want to back down and allow someone to disrespect his sister.

"I said no!" Phineas boomed with passion. Thrown off by the sudden burst of emotion, the man did not fully expect his victim to fight in any manner. Unable to control his emotion for a moment, the young adult took his leg and slammed his captor sideways in his shin.

The convict swore as the pain infected his entire limb. The reaction of using a powerful swing caused Phineas and his seat to fall to one side. The kodachi was dropped and had cut through the ropes which had bind the teen.

Phineas was finally free!

Upon realization his hands were no longer tied together, the adolescent was on his feet. As he backed away from his captor, he soon realized one of his hands stung. Glancing down, he observed his right hand had been sliced by the small sword. Mentally telling himself to have the wound mended later, the adolescent took off.

"You won't get away that easily!" the man yelled with anger after he recovered. He chased his victim down a long hallway. The young adult tried his best to navigate his way while holding on to his injured hand. He had difficulty as his legs had only been recently used to lift himself off his prison, but kept running since he knew if he were caught he would be in even more trouble.

"_I need to find an exit!_"he told himself. As he raced down the corridors, he found many doors, most were open and showed there to be absolutely nothing in any room, except for shattered glass.

Looking down when he felt a warm liquid on his hands, he quickly observed his own blood traced down his wound. He couldn't hide right away least he'd leave an obvious trail. Glancing forward, Phineas gasped when he thought he saw no exit. As he raced towards the edge, he instead saw a staircase.

"I didn't realized there was more than one level." Phineas whispered to himself. He was quickly distracted for a bit when he heard a loud voice taunt, "You won't get away!"

Because his legs had been immobile for some time, the teen had a bit of trouble keeping balance. Soon enough, he tripped over his own two feet. He cried out a bit when his chest fell right on top of his injured hand. While his mind attempted to deal with the sudden shock, the adolescent could feel his shirt soak a bit with his own fluid.

"Ok… this is _way _worse than trying to wake up a numb limb." he mumbled.

He quickly gasped when he heard stomping heading towards his direction. The teen struggled to stand back up, and managed to do after a couple of tries. Once on his feet, he turned a bit to see if he could spy his enemy. While walking backwards, he attempted to see where the entrance of the staircase was so he wouldn't need to jump over the handle.

"Over there!" he whispered with a bit of joy. To his right, a spot laid where the ground connected to the stairs. Before had the chance to race over, his eyes traced the spirals to see where it led. He gasped when he noted some of the stairs were broken.

"He must have carried me up while I was knocked out." Phineas guessed. His eyes widen when he heard a stern voice mocked, "No where to hide, kid."

The adolescent turned and saw his kidnapper. His heart raced as he backed away with fear. He had no metal or tools to make anything for his escape and there were no other weapons for him to use. Fighting either with an object like a stick or his own hands would be troublesome as the damage done to his right hand was still in great pain.

"You could jump down from here," the criminal began with a smirk, "But this isn't one of the greatest neighborhoods. If people find you racing down their streets and over their lawns, consider yourself an easy target from a gun."

The teen swallowed.

He knew his captor had made a valid point.

He hoped that if anyone did manage to locate him, they would be safe.

The only two people in the whole house kept their eyes glued to each other. Phineas wondered if he were only a mouse playing with a cat. As he continued to retreat, he tried to have his mind brainstorm of a way for him to escape. For him, thinking of ideas while under deep pressure was not the problem; the adolescent just wasn't accustom to helping himself on his own.

But he wouldn't give up!

That wasn't Phineas Flynn.

He needed to return to his family so he could sort out his emotional stress.

The man narrowed his eyes when he saw another glimmer of hope flash between the innocent sapphire eye. He had enough of dealing with a teen he thought was easy game. He quicken his paced as he bolted towards the adolescent.

Phineas saw this and was prepared to run faster than he ever had. Releasing his injured hand so he could concentrate on his shaky feet, he hurriedly tried to reach for the banister so if any stairs were to break, he would hold on to something.

Soon enough, the first step he took, the stair had snapped.

The boy's body tumbled over the broken handrail. Trying his best to reach for anything that could be of assistance, he only managed to grab air. With his back facing the ground from the second story, he yelled loudly as he fell. He bellowed once more when he saw he was heading straight towards the floor. As his thin form descended, everything around him slowed down.

He normally loved being in the air. He had been overly ecstatic when he finally broke the law of gravity with his friends and an acquaintance years ago, even it was only temporary. He had yearned for the same adventure but not like this. Before, he had always taken precautions, such as wearing helmets, which oddly resembled his outer crown. Now, he was in danger of being actually harmed.

When his physique finally banged against the ground, an immense spike of agony slammed into his left shoulder with a powerful blow. Despite the great injury, no sound escaped the teen's slender throat. His body remained in the same spot as the aftershock quickly took its toll.

With his bleeding hand holding his impaired shoulder, he gingerly rolled over to his opposite side of the strain. He groaned in pain. Angry stomps marched towards him. Phineas attempted to sit up, but couldn't complete the simple task that suddenly became a giant stress. After being uplifted by his own weak strength, his body automatically slid back down to the cold wooden floor. He couldn't do anything to stop his kidnapper from causing anymore harm.

Suddenly, the sound of a window crashing came about. The man yelped in pain. Phineas tried to open his eyes but his pupils were too exhausted to. Having his orbs unlocked at least halfway, the teen was able to see something strange. A blur of seawater green and tangerine with a splash of brown was fighting the evil criminal who had kidnapped the young adult.

The adolescent closed his eyes and lowered his head as his whole form was swept away by an incoming fever.

"Phineas!"

Someone had called him, but the teen was unsure of who it was.

**To be continued…**

Chao- OK! Since there appeared to a be slight delay in updates in stories found all around, this author figured a small piece of work that will be shown in a future fic can be shown!

**Preview:**

When Phineas gained consciousness, he realized he was sitting down on a simple wooden chair with his hands tied tightly behind his seat with a thick rope. Struggling to break his wrists free, he clicked his heels together at the same time in an attempt to activate his rocket shoes, but nothing happened.

"Huh?" he questioned as his mind began to fully wake up, "What happened to my rocket shoes?"

Looking around as his eyes adjusted, he found himself in a dark room with only one light shinning down on him. No one else was inside and no other type of furniture could be seen. There were no windows and only one door. The young adult who had been captured held a feeling he was locked somewhere in a basement. Though he had been apprehended by the enemy, Phineas decided to view situation to his favor; at least he would be able to see what the other team wanted and could make his getaway with important information.

Just then, the only entrance creaked opened. Phineas turned away and shut his eyes as a bright light engulfed the room for a split second then died back down.

"Don't think we'd be foolish enough to allow you an easy escape." remarked an arrogant voice with the door shutting behind him. The adult with messy red hair glanced up as he heard footsteps heading towards his direction.

When the person who spoke to him came into view, Phineas's eyes widen when he saw a tall man wearing a black tux. The opponent had messy black hair that flopped over his forehead and ears, brown eyes that displayed irritation but also complacent, and tan skin that clashed against the black and white colors of the worn suit. The familiar appearance came at once to the redhead's mind.

"A… Adam?" he questioned in complete shock, "Adam Kasimir? Is… that you?"

The other young adult smirked, "Huh, I'm surprised you remember me, Phineas Flynn; it's not like we were the best of neighbors growing up."

"I know." the one tied up sadly agreed, "Every summer you locked yourself in your home and didn't play with me or anyone else, even when we invited you over so many times."

Crossing his arms over his chest, the Whitesican stated flatly, "I had better shit to do than waste my time outdoors with you losers."

"Being indoors can be entertaining," Phineas nodded, "But there's plenty of fun that can be achieved outdoors as well."

"Our childhood was years ago. We're adults now who can only have vacations, not long summer breaks."

"But that doesn't mean the fun has to stop-"

"Enough!"

The two were in silence for a bit, each one recalling what the other was like while growing up near the other person's home. One ventured out and built fantastic devices and rides with family and friends while the other stayed locked in his room working on his computer, playing videogames, or reading electronic books. When the school year came along, the boy with red hair commenced study parties with the whole neighborhood while the one with brown hair refused to join.

There were also substantial difference between the two families. While the Flynn-Fletcher came from two families, one American and one Britain, the Kasimir held a German father and two Hispanic-American women. The one named Adam was the second child with Mr. Kasimir's second wife after his first one passed away. Each woman bore one boy, making Adam and his older sibling half-brothers. Unlike Phineas and Ferb, a large age gap laid between the two. While the stepbrothers initiated their operations during the summer, Adam was alone as his half-brother was already living in the dorms at college and taking summer courses.

At times, the only moments the two family members felt any sort of connection was through their father and skin color.

Adam walked closer to his tied up victim. As he stepped over to the side a bit, his peeved brown orbs focused on innocent sapphire ones. He then relaxed and smiled wickedly as he asked casually, "So, I can see you at least managed to stick with one type of job, you commitment-phobic."

"I'm not a commitment-phobic." Phineas defended, "I just like being able to keep moving forward."

"Says the guy who only wanted to be in a band with a one-hit wonder even though many people carry the dream to be a full time singer." Adam sighed as he shook his head with disapproval.

He recalled two mothers who held the same dream. Linda Flynn had one popular song while his own mother sung live at a restaurant at night but waited tables during the day in order to have ends meet. Though he did not like how singers and bands faded into the background when their time in the limelight was over, he was at least content Phineas and his group did not continue in the actual music business.

After regaining his demeanor, he continued, "Anyways, you're probably wondering why you've been brought over here."

"Yeah, sure." Phineas agreed, "Though the capturing of a good agent usually means that something bad is going to happen to him and not so much just an interesting way to catch up. Though that would be kinda cool, like a surprise party that everyone threw me that one summer-"

"Ok, whatever." Adam hurriedly interrupted, "Honestly, you're such a chatterbox sometimes…"

The young adult standing up reminded himself as to why he never did enjoy hanging out with the Flynn-Fletcher family, or anyone else. He couldn't stand how the people around him jumped from one idea to the next. He didn't like to abandon projects quickly just because something new came along or a theory did not work out right away. He didn't like seeing his neighbors working on new ideas every day when other people took days, months, even years to perfect a activity they had been placing their dreams on.

Just then, he found a way to move along with his plan.

"Well, Phineas," Adam went on, "Since you _do _enjoy moving forward, perhaps you would be please knowing you're going to help me out with an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?" Phineas raised an eyebrow.

The male with red hair had known the Whitesican ever since they were young. He often tried to invite everyone he knew for his projects, but the boy with black hair ignored the proposal and went on working alone. Phineas allowed Adam to live on with his lifestyle, but he never stopped trying to get the other boy involved. He wondered what Adam was up to now.

"Oh, Phineas, I thought you would be _thrilled _that you and I are finally working together." Adam laughed.

"It wouldn't be so bad if we weren't on opposite teams." Phineas replied, "Adam, I know just how brilliant you are. Why did you have to go and join _this _organization? They're not the nicest people-"

"That's none of your business!" Adam snapped. He then turned away as he needed to fully prepare his plan. As he walked away from his adversary and childhood enemy, he mumbled, "But I do sincerely hope you enjoy this project, 'cause it'll be your last one."

**End preview**.

Chao- Phew! Writing this chapter seems like nothing compared to writing an entire movie.

Agent Daisy- (holds up sign that reads: Congratulations to Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for their movie!)

Chao- Yup, that film gave this author a _much _needed boost!

Agent Daisy- (flips over poster: Help! I'm being held captive by a crazy-head!)

Chao- Hey! …. Since when can you write?


	6. Hospital

Chao- Although it may seem as though the whole kidnapping situation had ended a bit quickly, Chao wanted to use this story to focus on the aftermath rather than the suspenseful event.

"Talking."

"_Thinking_."

**Chapter 6: Hospital**

Phineas started to mentally wake up. He felt himself lying on his back on something soft with another object covering his body, keeping him warm. While his form was a little uncomfortably balmy, his head ached as it spun around, like the Spinning Tops of Doom he had built a few summers back. He then felt something heavy on top of his stomach. With his vision blurry, he opened his eyes halfway. He could faintly see a blur of seawater green mixed with tangerine, but no brown. When a notion occurred, he immediately shot his eyes open.

"P-Perry!" Phineas called out truly stunned. Just then, a powerful shock slammed into the teen's cheeks. He flinched in pain as he placed his right hand on his same sided cheek; his body had developed giant bruises within the areas he had been attacked.

He then felt something odd in two places. Gently using his finger, he traced over the two sides of his face and realized someone had placed bandages on both his cheeks. He then looked at his right hand and saw another set of white gauzes had been settled where the knife had sliced open his skin.

"Ok, note to self: don't widen mouth too much." Phineas stated softly to himself. He then glanced down and saw his loveable pet truly was with him.

The animal greeted his owner with his usual chatter. As the teen struggled to sit up, his left shoulder caused him great discomfort, perhaps even more than the wounds on his face. He winced in pain as he tried to move. He then felt something on his opposite shoulder. He glanced to see Perry positioning one of his paws on spot, as though he was trying to tell the boy not to move. The young adult obliged. He then looked down and was surprised to see his left arm in a sling.

The teen placed one hand on his wobbly head. He recalled he landed on his shoulder after dropping from a second story broken stair case. Closing his eyes, he mumbled, "Oh, yeah… I fell…"

After a moment of rest, he opened his orbs to find his pet had yet to move. He then gently began to stroke the mammal; he was very relieved to have someone who cared about him and help keep him calm. Trying to widen his lips into a smile, he found his muscles ached horribly when he did.

Rather than stretching his mouth, Phineas simply asked with a small laugh, "Hey, Perry, how did you get here?"

The animal stared at him with a blank look.

Flashback

The Flynn-Fletcher family, along with Isabella, waited anxiously to hear the news about one of their members. They were informed the youngest child had dislocated his left shoulder and was suffering from a little fever. All were soothed when they found out nothing else took place. They would be able to see Phineas once all precautions were taken. Although they were told he may be asleep, the family and young girl decided to wait to see him anyways.

Ferb sat on the edge of one of the green benches. He placed one wrist on the side of his face as his elbow was positioned on top of the arm rest. He wanted to know how his stepbrother was. He assumed his sibling may feel a bit uneasy after enduring so much with the kidnapping and hospital work. He looked over at the girl with black hair and knew Isabella had the same idea. Though the boy with red hair had a bright spirit, even he needed assistance from family and friends to bear survived times. Ferb figured he would do his best to try and have his brother calmed down before anyone else saw him. Even though his parents may always see their child as someone who holds an endless smile, Ferb had seen some faults within his brother no one else has.

He kept in his opposite hand a brown leather leash; he was in charge of the family pet. Glancing down at the mammal, he saw the creature stare back with his usual blank look. Ferb then formed an idea. When no one was looking, the teen with green hair whistled casually as he secretly released the platypus.

The adolescent then gently scooted the animal by his left foot; he held a firm suspicion Perry would be able to find Phineas first and have the boy settle down so no one else in the family will be driven to a panic attack at seeing the one with red hair freaking out over everything. Candace had seen the act committed by her brother, but forced herself to keep her mouth shut.

Perry mindlessly left the family. He scurried down a busy hallway, passing by doctors and janitorial people walking along. He then cleverly hid in one of the closets filled with many boxes of cleaning supplies. When the coast was clear, he placed on his signature hat and climbed his way through the ventilation shaft. Quickly and quietly, the semi-aquatic creature shuffled his way around. After listening to the chatters of nurses and interns, he was able to find Phineas's room with ease.

In one swift action, Perry jumped down from an open vent and landed smoothly on the white and blue tile floor when no one was around. He then placed away his hat and ambled along normally into a room with an adjacent door.

End flashback.

Because Phineas was more concerned about his bodily affliction and pet, he didn't have the chance to see exactly where he was. With his great observation skills, he glanced around his unfamiliar area. Four white walls surrounded him with a window to his left that allowed the light of the moon to travel through.

Even though he knew Perry would not be able to answer, the teen asked out loud, "Where am I?"

Just then, a nurse came into the room. He looked at his clipboard as he announced, "Mr. Flynn, your family is here to see you."

"My… my family?" Phineas asked, confused. The man nodded as he assisted the impaired teen to sitting up all the way. He then opened the door wider to allow the rest of the members to enter. Before he left, the easygoing nurse added, "Be sure to keep your pet on a leash."

Ferb walked over and repositioned the hook onto the collar. Everyone's spirit was lifted to see the one with red hair appeared to be quite tranquil, even after something as terrifying as being kidnapped happened to him. Isabella and Ferb stood towards the left of the bed while Candace was on the right. The Flynn-Fletcher parents remained in back while Perry continued to stay in the center of the mattress. Nearly everyone's heart rate went up when they saw the young adult appeared to have so many bandages along with his arm in a sky blue sling.

"So, Phineas." Isabella began with concern and a little shyness as she asked sincerely, "What'cha doin'?"

"That's a good question." the teen with red hair echoed, "What am I doing?"

"Right now you're in the hospital recovering." his mother answered after she placed her hand over her son's forehead. Her motherly instincts were softened when she saw her child was fine.

"I am?" Phineas questioned, "That's cool, I guess. How did I get here?"

"Ferb, Isabella, and I found you." Candace answered.

"Actually, Perry led us to where you were." Ferb corrected.

"But what about-" Phineas was about to ask a question when Isabella stepped in, "The man who took you had already been tied up and knocked out. Even though we didn't call for help, the police and ambulance arrived at the kidnapper's place."

Phineas glanced down at his pet. Everyone in the room understood the critter had been concerned along with them and must have snuck into the car that Candace took. But no one fully knew how the animal was able to escape from a moving vehicle and lead them to the correct place. Either way, the recovering teen was grateful his platypus was able to find him before the animal could have been seriously injured. He then began to calmly stroke the mammal once more. He was a bit afraid, though, to learn that Perry may have been hurt by the his own captor.

"Well, even if platypuses don't do much, I'm glad he was able to help you guys find me." the rescued adolescent smiled a small one so his muscles could relax.

Perry was appeased to know he did not blow his cover during his important fight. He figured if Phineas did see anything, the minor would only believe his vision was a hallucination due to his mild fever. Even now, the young adult did not appear to question what he saw. Fortunately for Phineas, Perry used his ties at work to call in for help the moment his owner was located. His organization had managed to connect the fingerprints from the criminal founded on the ransom note along with a piece of the victim's DNA, which all families who had adopted an animal for the OWCA Animal Shelter are secretly kept with at least some information, not enough to invade their personal lives.

"Plus animals have had a history of helping mankind." Lawrence added with a lighthearted tone.

"Yes, yes they have." Phineas nodded.

"Well, your father and I are going to go speak with the doctors for a bit." Linda informed the kids, "You all can wait here."

The husband and wife went over to talk with doctors about medications and to see what their insurance would cover. The group remaining stood in silence for a bit. Even Ferb, who normally said all with his gestures, kept a bit of distance so his brother could recover emotionally after having gone through such a horrible event in his young life.

Phineas was about to speak, when he kept quiet due to a tiny jolt that maimed his inner mouth. As happy as his heart was he was no longer in danger, the muscles inside his cheeks were still in great pain. To relieve himself of his stress, the injured boy had to keep his face in a blank mode. However, those who were closed to him were not accustomed to seeing the boy appear so plain.

Though she already understood whatever response she would receive, Isabella went ahead and asked, "Um, Phineas, are you ok?"

Normally the teen was quick to answer any question headed his way. But something within him was different. He glanced down towards his sheets and noticed his hospital gown. He recalled sitting with friends after school in one of their homes and watching TV dramas with characters in similar situations, and hearing his companions complain about the optimistic trait. He then recalled all the conversations between him and his abductor.

"Phineas?" Ferb called out with care, snapping his brother back to reality.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." the adolescent answered, "My cheeks just hurt a little."

The group nodded after seeing all the bandages that have been placed. Clearly some injuries would take more time to heal than others. They then saw the young adult had been hit in his face a few times and figured the boy's speech or use of his mouth was limited.

"Well, the doctors hadn't told any of us that you're missing any of your teeth." Isabella tried to joke. Everyone waited a moment to hear a witty remark from Phineas, but instead all just witness him nodding.

Perry grew uneasy. The human he was sitting on top of the bed with was not the same person he shared the same family. He, like everyone else, expected the teen to either talk about the event or take notice of the machine Ferb had built. He understood some afflictions were hard to deal with; he gained a few of his own scars from his battles against evil, but was always glad to have a such a caring community take care of him.

He chattered a bit once more. He closed his brown eyes when he felt a caring hand pet his teal fur. He was shaken with all that had happened; but was relieved his owner was at least out of the enemies hands.

Flashback

In the trunk of the car, a secret agent discreetly monitored his own screen for any news updates. Like his family, he tried to remain calm, but was underneath enormous amounts of stress and worry. The day was quite hectic for the platypus with him listening in on the conversation between members and authority figures, but now night had returned, which could possibly lead to more mischief by criminals.

But once he had been informed his owner had finally been located, the mammal was ready for action. Data between agents, who also had owners, passed along whatever knowledge they could with empathy. Perry would personally saw to it that the hijacker would pay for harming his innocent owner. However, he understood he could not risk any of the other members of his family. He needed to create a diversion until backup arrived so no one would get hurt.

When the car came to a full stop, he snuck out of the trunk before any of the humans came out from the car. Listening carefully to what the adolescents had planned, Perry looked at his watch and was told which house he needed to erupt into. He gazed around for anything that could be used as a distraction. He had to be cautious to what he used since the area looked all around suspicious. He then spotted one of the rear tires.

Slowly, he slyly took out one of his devices from his hat and punctured a hole. He knew the group would need to stick together, which would give him a chance to go and serve justice. When the job was done, he quickly dashed behind a tree.

"Hey, what's that noise?" Isabella asked, referring to the tire hissing. Ferb knew at once the sound of air escaping through a small hole and raced over to investigate the rubber wheels. At once, he located which one needed refilling.

"Oh, no," Candace groaned, "Why now?"

Working fast, the teen with green hair opened the trunk. He pulled out a jack and spare tire; there would be no time to locate an air station and fill up. In any other situation, perhaps there could have split up and search for Phineas, but for now it was best everyone stuck together.

While the group was busy, Perry took his long awaited opportunity and hustled over to the targeted house. When he finally arrived, he eyed the demonic prison that had kept his owner for over a day. Using his grappling hook, he shot the device and pulled himself up to a windowsill. After he gained his balanced, he looked into the window.

To his dismay, he did not see anyone right away, so he moved around smoothly to try and find the correct room. The entire second level was checked, but there was still no evidence for what the animal was searching for. But all of a sudden, Perry's small body shook when he heard an unexpected stomping all around. Then in the aftermath, a loud crash not too far from where he stood occurred in a flash.

Quickly, the platypus swapped around and raced towards the first floor. Looking through another window, his orbs rapidly scanned every inch of the room. His eyes soon widen farther than what he thought was possible. On the floor clutching his shoulder in pain was a teen with red hair. Immediately, the animal could see just how much agony the boy was enduring.

Not caring how well prepared the criminal was, Perry smashed through the glass and landed swiftly on his feet. He then dashed over to protect the injured young adult as the crook jumped down from the ledge. Standing in front of the minor, the secret agent stared down at the man who caused the Flynn-Fletcher family so much grief.

"A hat wearing animal?" the man asked, unsure of what he was seeing. He then looked at the teen and recalled all of the crazy stories he had been told by his victim. Filled with anger, he yelled, "Is this some kind of joke!"

Before the criminal had the chance to enact, he was at once slammed down by the enraged pet. Perry had taken his fist and hammered his potent strength right into the villain's face; he was absolutely steamed about all that had happened to his owner. He then turned and kicked the same man hard. In a mere two strikes, the criminal was down and tied up with a rope found not too far from the broken stairs.

Perry stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He wanted to continue fighting, but heard his owner shuffling a bit. Turning around, he saw Phineas and crimson liquid trickling down his hand. He knew he had to get medical attention, not to mention other authority members. Pulling out his PDA, he called his superior to let the man know what had happened.

Though he may not have wanted to leave his owner in such a critical condition, Perry still needed to go and notify the other rescue team. Rushing out of the main door, he had seen the young adults had completed their task of placing on the new tire and setting their focus towards their original mission. Before anyone had the chance to spot the platypus, the secret agent pulled down his hat and chattered loudly to catch their attention.

"Is that Perry?" Isabella asked. Ferb sped over to the animal and knew at once it was their own pet. Before the teen had the chance to speak, the critter scrambled a bit and tried for them to follow him.

"_Is_ that Perry!" Candace repeated in a more vex tone, "How did he even get all the way out here!"

Ferb didn't want to waste time asking questions. He followed the animal while observing his tracking device. He drove his long legs over the dead grass with great determination as he wanted to close the distant gap between him and his brother. Candace and Isabella were not too far behind.

When they finally came to the exact house, they were surprised to find the door was already opened. Ferb was suspicious of the adjacent entranced, but Perry had tried to show them it was already safe for them. He pushed the gateway all the way to show the culprit was already tied up and would cause any more damage.

The two girls gasped as they eyes laid down on the poor victim.

Though Ferb managed to move his lower limbs first, he couldn't help but bellow with concern and worry, "Phineas!"

The called out adolescent tried to move, but was unable to.

In the distance, sirens could be wailed along.

End flashback

"Visiting hours are almost up." Ferb noted. He, too, had observed the different attitude his cheerful brother usually held. He understood the physical afflictions and the psychological aftermath shock that was to set in eventually, but he still wanted to see his brother, the one who always held a bright smile across his young face. In an attempt to see at least a spark in the injured teen's eyes, Ferb asked, "How about I show you the locator device on our next visit?"

"Oh, yeah!" Isabella heavily agreed, "It really did work! But then again, everything you guys made always worked so well in the past."

Candace remained silent as she tried to burry her urge to show the machine to her mother with her concern with her brother. She remembered to when both Phineas and Ferb had acted bland for one day were cured when her own life was in danger. As she grew older, she understood one issue needed to be dealt with at a time. If she brought up the device now, it would make all stressful matters worse. Plus, Phineas was kidnapped on the premise of just acting in an everyday task when he was snatched by a criminal, not for building outlandish amusement park rides or throwing a concert on a raft on the beach.

All were a tad disappointed when they heard Phineas replied in a monotone voice, "Sounds good to me."

After the group had said they goodbyes, Perry hopped down from the bed, but was still anxious about his owner. Slowly, the young adults had left the room along with the parents.

Once alone, Phineas sighed heavily.

He was out of the clutches of one villain, but now needed to handle the antagonist of his own emotions and viewpoints on himself.

**To be continued…**

Chao- Aw! Perry kicked the kidnapper's ass to save his owner!

Agent Daisy- (nods head with great admiration)

Chao- Would you rescue Chao if Chao had been kidnapped?

Agent Daisy- (shakes head blandly)

Chao- ….. Anyways, this should be a lesson to all villains: If you mess with Perry's family, consider yourself dead!

Agent Daisy- (points over towards the distant)

Chao- Hmm?

Perry the Platypus- (runs over with chainsaw) (begins to chase Chao)

Chao- Uh oh! (begins to run) But Chao had Phineas rescued! Doesn't that count!

Agent Daisy- (shakes head)

Perry- (continues to chase Chao)

Chao- (continues to run) Please review! (trips over rock)


End file.
